Hidden Secrets
by flipflop386
Summary: Ever wondered how Team Gai learned about Neji's curse mark? - That's it for a summary. Yeah it sucks, don't judge me... Actually judge me, I don't know really care, just read my story please. :D
1. Chapter 1

**No. I don't own Naruto… but if I did, Neji would have A LOT more screen time….**

**Summary: Every wondered how Neji's team found out about his curse mark? Or maybe how he covered it up while in the Academy? Oh, also I made Neji a year younger than everyone else**

"Blah"- conversation

"**Blah"**- author's note

"_Blah"_- Characters' thoughts

**Hidden Secrets**

Lee stared at the clock. "_Ugh… 15 more minutes until class is out." _He focused his attention back on Iruka, his Sensei. He was explaining chakra control. Something Lee probably should have been listening too very carefully. _"I can mold chakra! I just know it! But… something, I don't know what, just prevents me from it." _Lee sighed, and drew his gaze towards a certain student sitting on the other side of the room. The student also wasn't paying attention to the teacher. Instead he rested his head on the desk between his arms, like he did every day. However today seemed different, he kept moving his head from the left to the right every few minutes, instead of looking straight ahead, like usual. In fact, Lee couldn't remember a single time the other boy was focused on the lesson. _ "I don't get him… He never seems to listen to Iruka-Sensei, and yet, he's the best in the class. Man, I would kill to have Neji's talent._

It was true; Neji was considered the best in his class… In fact, he is even considered a genius. His IQ is over 180, he has the best chakra control out of everyone and on top of all that he's only 9. Yep, that's right, only 9. Neji's birthday is in July, therefore he's fairly young to start out with, but he had also skipped a grade when he was 5. **(A/N: Assuming they had grades…)** He almost never talked, unless he was giving a report or answering a question, and above all, he was always serious. Neji almost never smiled… unless he was being condescending, in which case, he smirked. In fact, he hardly ever showed emotion.

"_He's a bit secretive, now that I think about it. I don't think I've ever really talked to him, and when I did, Neji never told me much about himself. He must be hiding something. Oh! I know what I'll do! I'll list the facts about him I do know, and then maybe I can figure out his little secret!" _Lee chuckled to himself, feeling like a detective and all. "_Let's see, he's part of the Hyuga clan… and he's the youngest in the class…and…wow. That's all I know. Umm… okay… Oh! He wears that bandage around his forehead…wait. That's a bit suspicious. I've never seen him with it off. Maybe he's abused at home, and he tries to cover it up. Yeah that's it!"_ Lee lost his train of thought when Iruka dismissed the class. "Remember class, tomorrow you will be assigned to your new teams and Senseis. Lee packed up his book and walked out the door. He heard Iruka call Neji's name, and Lee didn't dare miss out on what he had to say to "the Genius."

"Neji," Iruka said, "Before you leave, let me talk to you a little bit."

Neji sighed. He knew where this was going, "Yes, Iruka-Sensei?"

"I noticed you were having trouble concentrating in class again. Is everything alright at home? Anything I should know about?"

Lee gasped as he listened from outside the classroom. "_I knew it. He is abused!"_

Neji blinked. In all honesty, he wasn't okay. Today was the 5th anniversary of his father's death. Something which Neji knew no one in his class could relate too, considering he was the only one amongst the other kids whose parents were dead. "No. I- I'm just distracted is all. I'm fine… really."

Iruka gave the small boy a sympathetic smile and knelt down to be at Neji's level. Although he was the brightest student Iruka had, he also seemed to be the smallest and youngest. "I know it's tough, but he would want you to be strong. Remember, he's still with you and he always loves you." Iruka leaned over and gave the small boy a big hug.

Truth is, before Naruto, Iruka's favorite was Neji. Of course he would never admit it to other students, but the quiet, mysterious boy seemed to catch Iruka's attention. Over the year, Iruka had gained Neji's trust, and eventually the Hyuga opened up to him. He revealed his dark childhood, and explained the Branches of his family to him, and even showed his Sensei the secret underneath his bandages.

Neji hugged Iruka back and struggled to hold back tears. After all he never cried, because he was a Hyuga, and Hyuga's didn't cry… except for his younger cousin Hinata, she always cried.

Lee gasped._ "I don't understand. I've never seen Neji show any expression until right now. Who is this man they're talking about? And why is it making Neji so upset?"_

Neji sniffled a bit, and let go from the embrace. He wiped his tears from his big, white eyes and nodded at his Sensei.

Iruka smiled. "Remember, final exam is tomorrow. Are you ready?"

Neji nodded. He was back to showing no emotions.

"Of course you are! After all, you are my best student." Iruka smiled at Neji. The boy nodded, and dismissed himself from the classroom.

Lee tried to walk away quickly; so that the Hyuga didn't see him, but he had accidently ran right into Neji instead. The smaller boy fell to the ground. He looked up to see the clumsy person who knocked into him. "_Hn. Of course it was Lee. No one else in the class is as annoying or as clumsy as he is,"_ Neji thought to himself. He stood up, and was about to walk past him until, "Hey, are you okay?" Lee asked, "I heard you crying in there, and you… you seemed pretty upset."

Neji simply stared at the other boy with menacing white eyes, "Hn. It has nothing to do with you. Perhaps if you spent more time practicing your chakra molding, and less time eavesdropping, you would be able to pass tomorrow's final exam." Neji passed Lee and walked out the Academy door. Lee was stunned. He knew, Neji could be condescending, but he didn't know he was so cold hearted and rude.


	2. Chapter 2: The Final Exam

**Hidden Secrets Ch.2 **

**THE NEXT DAY**

Everyone in Iruka's class lined up at the front of the class. They were performing the final jutsu for their exam, Shadow Clones. "Alright Tenten, show me what you can do!" Iruka said encouragingly. The chocolate eyed girl stepped forward, performed the hand signs and shouted, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" In a puff of smoke, a second chocolate eyed girl was standing next to the other. "Hey, she's cute!" Tenten joked. Iruka looked at the clone and smiled at the original. "Very good Tenten! Excellent job!" he said. Tenten smiled and summoned her clone away. Lee stared at the girl in awe. _"She performs that trick so well."_ Lee fidgeted a bit, afraid of his turn. Truth was Lee wasn't the best at chakra control…. Actually, he was the worst in the class. However, what he couldn't do with chakra, he made up in strength. He was by far the strongest and fastest in the class. He watched as each student took their turn, until he heard the dreaded words.

"Okay Lee. You can do this. Remember to focus your chakra, alright?" Iruka said Lee shook himself from his daydream and nodded to his Sensei. He took in a deep breath and focused on the jutsu. He did the hands signs and shouted, "SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!" The room fell silent. Lee didn't want to open his eyes, but he did. To nobodies shock, there was no clone. Suddenly, the room broke out in laughter, mocking the black haired boy. Lee stood there in embarrassment; he knew this would happen, it always happened.

"Haha, probably for the best! Two Lees would be unbearable!" said one boy. "Is he just stupid? How hard is it to make a clone? I mean, seriously?" whispered one girl to another. Lee looked over in Tenten's direction. She didn't laugh, in fact she looked sympathetic. Then Lee looked over on the other side of the line to the "genius." He simply smirked, and rolled his pupil-less eyes. _"I knew it. He's not cut out for a ninja. Iruka-Sensei will fail him. Because, that's what he is, a failure."_ Neji thought. "Alright! That's enough! Settle back down!" Iruka shouted, trying to calm the class down, "You're all being very disrespectful!" by now, the class had gone quiet again. "Good. Moving on…" Lee stood there with head hung low, trying to avoid eye contact with anyone.

"Last but certainly not least, Neji Hyuga," His Sensei said. Neji stepped forward. He did the signs, closed his eyes, and in a puff of smoke, there was a second Hyuga in the room. Everyone gasped. "He didn't even have to say the words!" said one boy. "He is so smart and cute!" said a little girl. "Not bad for a little squirt," said a boy who chuckled. Neji took the praise silently and stepped back in line. Iruka gave the boy a reassuring smile and congratulated him. "Excellent job Neji! That was very well done!" He said. The small boy gave him a slight smirk, showing that he had appreciated the compliment.

"Very well, Neji was the last one. Now as you know, I have been spending the past year grouping you all into teams of 3 and assigning you to Senseis. I've spent a lot of time organizing and interviewing different Jonins, and I believe I've made the right decisions. Now, go take your seats, and I will be announcing the teams in a few minutes," Iruka said, while returning to his desk. The students took their seats, and sat in silence. _"Oh man. I really screwed up again! It is time for me to make a promise to myself! Even if I cannot mold chakra, I will still be a splendid ninja! I will work hard! I will not stop when times get tough! For that is my nindo, my ninja way!"_ Lee thought to himself. He looked over at the Hyuga in his class. _"How great would it be if Neji was on my team! He can be my eternal rival! And we will work harder and support each other so that we can get stronger!"_ After 30 minutes of sitting in silence, Iruka finally stood up holding a box of forehead protectors.

"Alright, I've got good news! You've all passed! As of today, you are all officially Genins!" Iruka said happily. All of the students cheered jubilantly, except for Neji. He sat in his chair, showing no emotion…as usual. Lee stared in awe, shocked that he had somehow managed to pass. Once the new genins had settled back down, Iruka announced their new teams. One by one, the 30 students' names were called, and assigned their teams. The newly formed teams stood next to each other at the front of the room, and waited for the others. Neji listened very carefully to the names Iruka called. He wasn't picky, probably because he didn't like anyone in his class, however there was one person in particular that he couldn't stand, and he prayed that he wouldn't be with that person.

"_Iruka-Sensei, if you call my name, and then his, I promise that I will punch you."_ Neji thought. He knew he was going to be the last to be called, after all, the top student of the year always had their team called last. And there was no doubt that he would be last to be called. _"Iruka-Sensei, just call his name please! This is the last team before mine is called! Please just say his annoying name."_ He thought again. Two seats to Neji's left and one row up sat Tenten, the chocolate eyed, brown haired little girl. She watched the Hyuga from the corner of her eye._ "Dear Lord, please please PLEASE let me be on his team! He is so cute, and strong, and talented, and I have the BIGGEST crush on him! All the other girls will be so jealous!"_ She thought to herself, trying to hold back a giggle.

Iruka announced the team. "Now for team 9. Katsu Yamada, Aika Nakamaura, and lastly…" _"Lee, Lee, Lee, please. I refuse to tolerate such a failure." _Neji mentally begged. "_WAHOO! YIPPY! TAKE THAT AIKA! Guess who's got two thumbs and is on Hyuga Neji's team? THIS GIRL RIGHT HERE! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! YESSS!" _Tenten silently cheered. Lee, however, was just about to fall out of his chair, "_I'm fine with whoever, but I would much appreciate having Neji on my team!" _"Muchio Watanabe," Iruka said. If Neji wasn't so well behaved, he would have smacked his head on the desk, but instead his eyes went wide with disbelief. _"Damn it. I'm going to murder Lee I just know it. *sigh* alright calm down Neji, perhaps our new sensei will knock some sense into him…"_

"Now, for the last team, Team 10. Your new Sensei will be Maito Gai," Iruka said, smiling at Neji, who remained emotionless. "Rock Lee," Lee stood up and walked to the front, slightly embarrassed from his earlier performance. "Tenten," The little girl stood up and walked happily to the front, making sure to stick her tongue out at Aika. "And lastly, this year's top student, Hyuga Neji!" The class cheered, and again, the Hyuga took the praise in silence. He stood up and stood next to the other two members of his team. "Neji, in honor of your achievements, you may put on your forehead protector first," Iruka said holding out a shiny new, forehead protector with a black band. Neji was offered to choose the color beforehand and decided black would be best. The Hyuga stared at the piece of metal attached to fabric, and stared back to his Sensei. "No thank you," he said. Everyone gasped. How could he give up such a splendid opportunity? Iruka was shocked, "Are you sure Neji? It's a great honor." The Hyuga turned picked up the protector and simply let it linger in his hand, which rested at his side, "Yes. I'm sure." He said, secretively gesturing to the bandages on his forehead, by pretending to remove a strand of hair from his face. Iruka gave him an understanding nod, "Alright then, you may now put on your forehead protectors! Now, your new senseis are waiting for you outside. Make sure you come back and visit me! I know every one of you will have successful ninja lives!" And on that note the students cheered, put on their forehead protectors and left the class.


	3. Chapter 3: The Making of Team Gai

**Hidden Secrets Ch. 3**

Neji, Lee, and Tenten wondered out of the Academy to find their new sensei, Gai. All their former students quickly found their senseis and dispersed from the area, except for Team 10. "So… He's late? What do you think we should do Neji?" Tenten asked. Neji turned his back to her, and replied, "Hn."

"Okay, 'Hn' isn't an answer." She said

"Hn," he replied again.

"Why don't you ever talk?"

"There's no need to waste my breath on silly remarks," he replied.

"Oh-kayy…? So what do you think we should do Lee?"

Lee shook himself from a daydream, "Huh? Oh, maybe we should go wait in the shade over by that tree. There is no need for us to get exhausted from the heat."

"That's a great idea! What do you think Neji!" Tenten really didn't care for his opinion, but she was just trying to fill the awkward moments.

"Hn"

"Should've seen that coming…" Tenten rolled her eyes.

The trio walked over to the tree and sat down… well, Tenten and Lee did. Neji remained standing. After a few minutes of silence, Tenten tried to brighten the mood.

"Sooo….. Neji"

"Hn?" The Hyuga focused his attention to the kunoichi to his right.

"Why didn't you put on your forehead protector? I mean you're still not wearing it. Why not put it on?"

"Hn…"

"Okay, new team rule. No saying 'hn' in replacement to an answer!" Tenten was fed up with Neji's response.

"….Hn" Neji scoffed.

"Ugh. Alright, back to my question about the forehead protector. Why didn't you put it on?"

"…. It would take too long for me to take my bandages off and then put on my forehead protector. I simply didn't feel like wasting anyone's time."

"Well, why not put it on now? I mean, were just waiting for Gai-Sensei to show up. For all we know, we could be waiting for hours."

Suddenly, Lee became very interested in the conversation. "Yes Neji! Put on your forehead protector so that we can show them to our new Sensei!"

"…. Hn. I don't want to."

"Awe come on Neji! Put it on for me please!" Tenten pleaded.

"No. I will wear it tomorrow."

"But Neji, we will look like splendid ninja in them!" Lee said

"Oh please. You're a failure. You can't even make a shadow clone. I don't have to listen to you."

Lee was stunned. There was that cold hearted guy he had met earlier. "Yes I know I have trouble with certain jutsus but I excel in other areas!"

"Hn…."

"Actually, now that you've mentioned it, why do you wear bandages over your forehead?" Tenten asked, trying to keep the boys from fighting.

"If I wanted you to know I would have thrown them away a long time ago."

"Seriously? Are you gonna make me guess? Because I will!"

"Hn"

"Ugh. Alright, do you have an injury?"

"No."

"A tattoo?" Not that she thought a nine year old would have one…

"….No" _"It's technically not a tattoo."_

"Hmmm… A birth mark?"

"…No" _"I got it when I was 3, so no."_

**(A/N: I researched it, and Neji's birthday is July 3****rd****, therefore making him the youngest, or close to the youngest, in his class. Also Hinata was born December 27****th****. And since Neji got it when Hinata turned 3, Neji would technically still be 3 when the mark was given to him…this was only to prove that he was 3 NOT 4 like everyone thinks) **

"Are you…abused at home?" Lee asked in a jokingly type way, interested to know the truth.

"No." Neji turned away from the others, "It's of none of your concern, so I don't understand why you are so curious." _"Am I abused at home? Well sort of… I guess it counts for abuse… but only when I misbehave."_

Tenten sensed that Neji really didn't want to talk about it anymore so she dropped the topic. "Ugh! Where is he? It's been nearly 30 minutes! Where could he be?"

"RIGHT HERE!" Shouted a voice from behind them. Suddenly a man with a bowl shaped hair cut jumped out of the trees and landed in front of them. "My name is Maito Gai! But you may call me Gai-Sensei! I'm sorry for the late entry but the Hokage had sent me off on a mission and I've just returned!"

Tenten, Lee, and Neji all jumped at their sensei's sudden entrance. "Wha-What was your mission..Gai sensei?" Tenten asked slightly concerned.

"I had to deliver a very special scroll to the Village hidden in the mist! It was a very exciting mission!"

"…Oh really? Did you run into any rogue ninjas?" Neji asked in a pissed- of, smart ass tone.

"well… no.."

"Any animals?"

"..No.."

"Traps?"

"…Nooo…."

"….Obstacles?"

"Not really.."

"….Not even a river?"

"Not that I can recall"

"Doesn't sound very exciting to me"

"….I don't mean to be rude, but he's right. Your mission sucked." Said Tenten slightly disappointed by Gai's 'mission'.

"Not every mission will be exciting and challenging!" said Lee, "However, we must always be prepared for the unexpected!"

"THAT'S RIGHT…..what's your name?"

"ROCK LEE!"

"THAT'S RIGHT LEE! IT'S ALWAYS IMPORTANT TO BE PREPARED! THIS BRINGS UP OUR VERY FIRST TRAINING EXCERISE! I WANT YOU ALL TO RUN 20 LAPS AROUND THE VILLAGE!" Gai yelled happily.

Tenten and Neji's jaw dropped. "2-20? Around the entire village? But-but you don't even know our names!" Tenten complained.

"THAT'S RIGHT! WE WILL FORMLY INTRODUCE OURSELVES AFTER 20 LAPS!"

"But-But 20 is a lot of laps!" Tenten complained again.

"DO NOT WORRY, SOON YOU'LL BE ABLE TO RUN 300 LAPS AROUND THE VILLAGE! I SUGGEST YOU GET STARTED!"

"YES GAI-SENSEI!" and on that note, Lee started running.

Tenten and Neji just stared. "This is a joke." Neji stated, feeling pissed.

"Yeah! 20 laps will take us all day!" Tenten wined.

"THEN GET STARTED!" Gai exclaimed excitedly.

Tenten sighed and started running while Neji gave Gai a death glare. _"He's joking. The village is about 9865 hectares; it would be impressive if we managed to run 1 lap." _Gai stared back slightly confused. "Neji, you should start running."

"You know my name?"

"Well of course"

"But you didn't know Lee's…"

"I was told that the top student in the class would be on my team, and I know that's you"

"Are you serious about the running?"

"Dead serious!"

"Hn…I couldn't tell by your tone of voice" And on that note, Neji turned and started running.


	4. Chapter 4: Peeling Off Some Layers

**Hidden Secrets Ch. 4**

**20 LAPS LATER**

Lee finished first, followed by Neji, and lastly Tenten. The latter two collapsed immediately onto the ground and took a drink of water. "THAT WAS GREAT! LET US DO IT AGAIN!" Lee yelled. Neji and Tenten nearly choked on their water at Lee's words.

"I'm afraid we can't today, we still have much to cover!" Gai stated. Neji and Tenten sighed in relief. "Now follow me!" The team followed their sensei all the way to the top of an observation tower. On the way, Gai asked them all several questions such as their names, birthdays, hobbies, etc. "Alright! Here we are! Now take a seat!" The students sat down, relieved to be off their feet. "Now how old are you all?"

"Eleven" said Tenten

"Eleven" said Lee

"….Nine" said Neji, slightly embarrassed at the age jump. But of course, he doesn't show emotion.

"NINE! How young! You must work very hard!" Gai exclaimed

"Or, fate decided that I should graduate early" Neji said in his pissed-off smart ass attitude.

"…don't you mean the Academy's school board decided?" Tenten questioned.

"Hn"

"I thought we agreed on no 'hn' anymore!"

"…hn"

"Alright that's enough! I have one more question for you. Every ninja should have a main goal in their ninja career, what is yours?"

"I WISH TO PROVE THAT I CAN BE A SPLENDID NINJA EVEN IF I CANNOT USE GENJUTSU OR NINJUTSU!" Lee exclaimed, shooting his hand into the air.

Neji smirked, "Hn. And how do you expect to do that?"

"BY TRAINING VERY HARD!" Lee obviously didn't catch Neji's sarcasm.

"EXCELLENT LEE! TENTEN YOUR TURN!"

"Umm….I want to be a strong kunoichi like the Legendary Sanin, Lady Tsunade!"

"SOUNDS LIKE A GREAT IDEA! NEJI WHAT ABOUT YOU?"

Neji thought about it for a second before responding, "It doesn't concern you."

"Come on Neji you can tell us!" said Gai cheerfully

"I rather not" he responded turning his head to face the town.

"Hm..very well. I wish to have a one on one conversation with each of you individually, starting with you Neji, then Tenten, and lastly Lee. Our little chats won't last any longer than 15 minutes, so don't wonder off to far. Tenten and Lee stood up and walked down the stairs, while Neji sat exactly where he was.

Gai sat down next to him pulling out a folder from out of nowhere, "So Neji, this here is a file filled with information about you, given to me by Iruka sensei"

"_That doesn't sound creepy at all"_

"I was very impressed by several things, for starters your amazing chakra control!"

"It's a kekkei genkai"

"Well yes, I'm familiar with the Hyuga family, but to have such control at such a young age! It's incredible! That reminds me, I'm going to talk to you about something a bit serious for moment, and it may be a bit hard for someone your age to handle."

Neji got a knot in his stomach when he heard this, but managed his stoic attitude, "I may only be 9 years old, but I'm much more mature than my age."

Gai smiled and chuckled slightly, "Well that's good, because I Iruka told me this was a very sensitive topic for you."

Neji posture suddenly changed in the slightest of ways, he knew exactly where this was going, and was less than excited to talk about it, however he nodded obediently.

Gai took in a deep breath, and lowered his voice significantly, "It says here your mother passed away when you were very young."

"She had a weak heart. She was always having heart problems, and one day… it got so bad that she-she….passed away." Neji really didn't have much of a problem talking about his mother, yes he loved her and missed her, but he was hardly a year old when it happened, it wasn't like he had a lot of memories of her.

"I see, and it also says your father is deceased… do you want to talk about it? You don't have to if it upsets you… this is only for my concern, no one else will know unless you say anything" Gai said trying to reinsure the Hyuga.

Neji stared at Gai with big white eyes, not speaking. _"Just tell him, he'll find out eventually, and it's not like it's a secret." _Neji began to speak, "5 years ago, the Hyuga signed a treaty with the Village hidden in the clouds….however, it was only a trap to steal the secrets of the byakugan…one night their leader kidnapped lady Hinata, my cousin from the main branch family and expected heiress to the clan," That's when Neji started to lose his stoic form, "I-I should've been aware. I-I should've been protecting her, after all she was my responsibility. I was supposed to be there, but I wasn't and-and he's dead because of me!" Neji's eyes started to well up with tears.

Gai tried to calm him down and placed a hand on the young boy's shoulder, "Neji calm down, you were only 4, there wasn't much you could have done. Now what happened after she was kidnapped?"

Neji sniffled a bit, "Hi-Hiashi-sama, father's twin brother, killed him immediately, but the clouds wanted Hiashi-sama's body as replacement for their leader. But-but instead the Hyuga leader's made father give up his life to protect the main branch family, because that's all we ever do! We-we don't make any decisions for ourselves! Our lives are decided for us and it's not fair! I hate the main branch family, and I hate Hiashi sama, and I hate Hinata! It's just not fair! Why should I lose my father, when it was all hers and Hiashi sama fault! It's just not fair!" Neji was bursting out into tears, not being able to control himself. He was surprise himself, he never showed emotion, and suddenly he let go of all his emotions at once.

Gai hushed Neji and gained his attention, knowing Tenten would be coming back upstairs in about 8 minutes. "Shhhhh, Neji, I understand why your so upset, but you must calm down."

Neji hiccupped a bit before control himself. He rubbed his red eyes and stared at Gai. His sensei turned to a new page, "Alright, how about we drop the subject and discuss something else?" Neji simply nodded.

"Okay! Let's go over your medical record, not that I think you're unhealthy, but because I want to confirm everything in here just in case I need to know on a mission." Gai waited for response but Neji didn't give any. "Let's see, last physical was at the beginning of the year, that's good. Mhmm. Yes, that's sounds right. Have all your shots. Ah! Here it is! Allergies! It says you're allergic to oranges and Hydromorphone (A very strong pain reliever)," Gai stared at the paper confused, "Hydromorphone isn't very common, how were you tested for that?"

Neji hesitated before talking. _Why does it matter how I was tested. Hn, I don't have to tell him the whole truth, besides it would be in my medical history which he has in his hands so he'll find out on his own. _"When I was younger I was hospitalized for a surgery, and I guess I reacted poorly to the pain medication."

"Very well, and lastly, are you sure you don't want to tell me your dream?"

Neji paused and stared at Gai with his misleading innocent white eyes, "Yes. I'm positive."

"Umm I'm back…do you want me to leave…?" Tenten asked, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

"Nonsense! Neji and I were simply waiting for your return!" Gai replied, "Thank you Neji, I'll see you tomorrow where we met today, 6 o'clock sharp!"

And in that note, Neji went home.


	5. Chapter 5: The Accident

**Hidden Secrets Ch.5**

**3 WEEKS LATER**

3 weeks after the team had met, and gotten to know each other, Lee, Tenten, and Gai still didn't know what Neji hid underneath his forehead protector. All were curious, but respected Neji's privacy.

"Alright! Today we will be working on our agility running through the trees! As a ninja, you will constantly have to leap from tree to tree as a quicker way to reach your destination. Although a simple technique, if you misplace your foot, you can slip and fall. And let me tell you it is a long fall to the ground! As much as 120 meters at the highest! But today we will work at a lower level so that you can get used to it!" Gai said in his usual motivational voice.

"GAI-SENSEI! HOW HIGH WILL THE YOUTHFUL TREES BE?"

"EXCELLENT QUESTION LEE! No higher than 40 feet for today!"

Gai explained the technique as his students sat and watched. _"Wow. Really? How hard can it be to leap from a tree?"_ Tenten asked herself. Neji stared, refusing to say anything, "_Hn. Sounds simple enough. After all, it requires nearly no chakra."_

"ALRIGHT! NOW THAT YOU, MY YOUTHFUL STUDENTS KNOW ALL ABOUT IT! LET'S GIVE IT A YOUTHFUL WHIRL!"

The trio stood up and leaped into the trees. They practiced for hours. After taking a break for lunch, Lee rivaled Neji to race him, "Neji! Let us see who can go the fastest!" Neji questioned it for second, not wanting anything to do with Lee, but then decided that he really hadn't pushed himself lately. "Alright…" Tenten stayed far behind them, not wanting to get hit by one of them, "Hey, do you think that's a good idea? I mean you guys are going pretty fast already…" she asked. "Nonsense Tenten! What is a little competition?" Gai said, encouraging the two boys, "We'll turn back here. First one back to the Gates of Konoha will only do 95 laps around Konoha tomorrow! Everyone else will do 100! Ready. Set. GO!" Gai shouted, and the two boys took off towards Konoha. Although the reward sounded tempting, Tenten knew she didn't stand a chance against the boys. _"There's no point to waste the energy. I'll just stay back here. Besides… it's only 5 laps… 5 HUGE laps… but still not worth it." _She thought.

Lee and Neji were neck and neck for a while; however Neji had taken the lead, but Lee wasn't far behind. "Neji! I will catch up! I am not far behind!" Lee shouted Neji scoffed. He really didn't care about the reward; he simply wanted to beat Lee. _"Almost there… I can see the gates from here! All I need to do is focus on the bran-"_ Neji couldn't complete his thought, for his foot had slipped from the branch. Before he knew it, Neji had fallen, hitting branches on the way down. Lee had stopped once he noticed Neji was no longer ahead of him. _"Where did he go?"_ Suddenly Lee heard a sickening 'THUD' and looked down. "_Oh no! Neji fell!"_

"Neji!"

No response….

"Neji can you hear me!"

Still no response.

Lee jumped down to the forest floor, hoping to help Neji. Moments later, Gai and Tenten arrived. "What happened?" Tenten asked kneeling down to Neji, who had fallen unconscious. He had cuts and scrapes all over his body. Tenten was about to pick up his head and rest it in her lap, but Gai stopped her. "Tenten, never touch an injured comrade. You never know if touching them will make things worse." Tenten stopped, "Hai, Gai-Sensei. So what do we do then?" Gai looked over the smallest member of his team. "First we check for broken bones, but Neji seems to not have any.… From what I saw, he fell and hit his head on some branches, and probably on the ground. He probably has a concussion."

Tenten looked at him in panic, "Well! What do we do?"

"Tenten, calm down. Gai-Sensei knows what to do!" Lee said with a reassuring smile.

"Good, Lee. Well, to know for sure, we have to remove his forehead protector."

Tenten and Lee both gasped. "But Sensei! He never takes it off!" They said simultaneously.

"I know, but that doesn't matter right now.


	6. Chapter 6: The Truth is Slowly Revealed

**Hidden Secrets Ch.6**

"_Well, I guess he really isn't abused…but still, it looks like a tattoo, but Neji said that it wasn't a tattoo."_ Lee thought to himself.

Gai found himself studying the marking also. _"Ugh! Want am I doing? I know exactly what it is! Stop it Gai! Neji is hurt, focus back on him!" _Gai mentally smacked himself and continued on with helping Neji. "Lee, Tenten! Focus!"

"Uh, Yes Gai-Sensei!" They both said, slightly shaken by their sensei's suddenly harsh tone.

"Good. Now look at this bruise on the side of his head. Note its size."

"Ooooh! That doesn't look good!" Tenten said, cringing.

"Gai-sensei! It looks like there is another forming underneath his bandages and straps!" Lee said. **(A/N: Why does Neji wear those straps? If anyone knows, please tell me, I'm really curious)**

"Excellent job Lee, however, I won't remove his bandages. I will leave that to a nurse to do," Gai stated as he started packing up his things, including Neji's forehead protector.

"You mean, we have to take him to the hospital? Is it really that serious!" Tenten asked, with a hint of panic in her voice.

"I'm afraid so. The bruises will heal on their own; however, it's best if a professional looks at it. Besides, a concussion isn't something that should be taken lightly," Gai stated, picking up Neji and placing him on his back, "Lee, take my pack for me, and Tenten take Neji's."

They quickly took off and headed for Konoha Hospital.** (A/N: Wow….I went onto Narutopedia to find out how to spell Konoha….ended up reading it for like 3 hours…)**

When they got there, Gai told Lee and Tenten to stay put while he explained the situation to a nearby nurse, who paged a medic. When the medic arrived, he took one look at Neji and immediately took him to a room.

"What are they doing Gai-sensei?" asked Tenten hesitantly, as her teacher walked back towards them.

"They are taking him for a MRI scan. The doctor said that his bruises looked quite serious, so they are going to check for any brain injury," Gai said calmly as he took a seat. He took note of his students' worried faces and tried to lighten the mood, "Don't worry! This is Neji we are talking about! He'll be just fine! In fact, he's always so serious that perhaps a bump on the head is all he needs to make him loosen up a little!"

"I guess," Tenten said, as she and Lee took a seat next to Gai, "so… what do we do now? Just wait?"

"That's exactly what we'll do! But why just sit here when we could be doing 500 pushups!" Gai exclaimed as he dropped to the ground.

Lee stared at Gai in awe, "Yes Gai-Sensei!" And then he too dropped to the ground and started his pushups.

"Ugh. Right, I'm just going to run down to my dad's store and let him know where I am. Hehe," Tenten said, trying to sound convincing. However it didn't seem to matter because Lee and Gai were too busy counting their pushups. **(A/N: My story, my rules. Tenten lives with her mum and dad who are both jonin and own a weaponry shop.) **

After a couple hours, a doctor came out from behind a door and called Gai over. They exchanged words for a few minutes before they went their separate ways.

"Well?" Tenten asked.

"The doctor says that Neji is fine, and will be ready to leave as soon as his uncle comes by and signs him out," Gai said.

"His uncle? Why his uncle?" Lee questioned.

"Neji lives with his uncle, Lord Hyuga," Gai explained.

"Yeah, but why not his parents?" Tenten asked, confused.

"His parents…. Passed away when he was very young," Gai pondered on his answer for a moment. He didn't want to lose Neji's trust, after all Gai did say he wouldn't tell anyone about his father's death.

"Aw, that's so sad…" Tenten said, looking down at her feet.

"Yes it is, however, Neji has made it frank to me that he doesn't like discussing the subject, so refrain from mentioning it. Do I make myself clear?"

Both of the genin nodded.

"Excellent, now let's go visit him."

Neji sat up in his hospital bed and rubbed his throbbing head. _ "What the hell happened? Let's see, I was training with my team…and we were… what were we doing?"_

"Neji? Can we come in?" Tenten's voice rang from the doorway.

"Hn? Oh yes, sorry."

Tenten gestured for the other two members of his team to come in. "How are you doing?"

"Well my head is killing me. But fine otherwise," Neji said, returning to rubbing his head.

"THAT IS SO GREAT TO HEAR! DO NOT FRET NEJI! YOU WILL BACK TO FULL HEALTH IN NO TIME!" Lee yelled in his cheery tone.

Gai observed Neji cringed at the sound of Lee's voice, "Lee, I'm happy to see your youthful enthusiasm for Neji's health, but his head is already aching and your yelling isn't helping it." Gai turned back towards Neji, "Don't worry Neji; Dr. Yamaka said he had some pain medicine. He should be back any moment."

Neji nodded in understanding.

"Do you remember what happened?" Tenten asked, trying to fill in the awkward gaps.

"Not really. I remember us training, but I can't remember where we were or what we were doing or….ugh, point is, it's all a blurr," Neji said, trying to get rid of the ringing in his ears.

"We were practicing running through the forest when Lee offered to race you. And half way through it, you must've slipped and fell down 30ft to the bottom. You should be grateful that a concussion was all you got." Gai said in a more serious tone.

"_Hn. How could I have been so careless?"_

"Believe me, I am," Neji squeezed his eyes shut, hoping to get rid of the pain.

"How's my favorite patient doing?" A voice rang from the door.

"_Hn, he says that every time." _Neji grinned slightly, eyes still shut. "My head is killing me."

"I can only imagine! I always knew you'd end up in here eventually when you became a ninja, but I never thought it'd be this soon! It's only been a few months!" The voice belonged to a tall doctor in his late thirty's. He pushed back his light brown hair, revealing his green eyes, and approached Neji's bed. "Lucky for you I have some pain relievers but right now all I have is an IV. Do you want to wait for some pills or would you rather have a needle in your arm?" Dr. Yamaka asked half chuckling.

"The needle. Now. Please," Neji's eyes flung open in disbelief that his doctor would even consider waiting for pills.

Dr. Yamaka blinked, a little shocked, "Well alright. And I thought you hated needles. Is the pain really that bad?"

"Yes. Yes it is. I'll willingly take a needle to make the pain stop."

"Hn. Then I better go get something a bit stronger. I won't be too long." The doctor left looking slightly concerned.

Tenten stared at Neji slightly confused, "How does he know you so well? I mean, he acted like he's known you for forever."

"He's my doctor…? I don't think that's very abnormal. Don't you have a pediatrician?" Neji said slightly pissed off at her dumb question.

"Well yeah, but he's like a legitimate doctor. He does surgeries doesn't he? Most pediatricians don't perform surgery."

"Who said he was a pediatrician?"

"I believe you did, my youthful teammate," Lee jumped in, also very confused.

"No, I said he was my doctor, I didn't say he was a pediatrician." Neji was very pissed off and was gripping his head in pain.

"But you-"

"Look. I feel like I was just trampled by a pack of horses that had hooves made of senbons. My head is on fire right now; and I'm in no mood to dawdle on this topic. It's really not that important."

The room fell silent.

"Okay then. We'll drop the subject." Tenten said, trying to stay on the Hyuga's good side.

"Did Dr. Yamaka say how long your uncle will be?" Gai stated.

"Ugh, I can't remember… Two hours? Three? He's currently in a meeting."

"A meeting? His nephew is in the hospital and decides to finish up his meeting!" Tenten was fuming.

Neji looked up at her in shock. He wasn't mad, just…shocked. His eyes grew huge in disbelief. _"He looks so innocent and naïve right now"_ Tenten thought, still keeping her angry composure.

"He…He's in a meeting with the Hokage. It's extremely important."

"What? Why would the Hokage want to speak to him?" Lee asked

"Probably to reprimand him for being such a horrible uncle!" Tenten said, still mad.

"He's the head of my clan. I'm not allowed to know what the meeting is about, but I know it's very important."

"Your uncle is the Hyuga Lord!" Tenten trembled in fear, "Isn't he extremely strick?"

Neji winced in pain again, "Well…yes."

"Here we go!" Dr. Yamaka came back into the room, "this should do the trick!" He held up an IV bag filled with a clear fluid in his left hand, while a similar one rested in his right. The doctor set up the IV and prepared Neji's arm for the needle. "Ready?" The Hyuga shut his eyes and turned away from his arm. "1-2-3. See? Needles aren't as bad as you make them out to be Neji!" He placed a piece of tape over the needle to make sure it stayed in.

The Hyuga opened one eye and stared at the stinging spot in his arm, "speak for yourself."

Dr. Yamaka chuckled as he made his way to the door, "Very well, I'll be back to check on you in a half hour."

"Feel any better yet?" Lee asked.

Neji rolled his eyes, "No." "_idiot."_

Tenten observed the IV bag, "Oh wow! Hydromorphone! Don't worry Neji! That stuff is really strong I know because…." Tenten continued talking but it was only nonsense in the Hyuga's ears.

His eyes opened suddenly, "Did you say Hydromorphone?" he said slightly panicked.

Gai registered Neji's concern and ran to find Dr. Yamaka again.

"Oh yeah, it's really strong you won't feel any pain real soon!" Tenten said cheerfully.

Neji's breathing hitched and he stared at the liquid drip down the IV tube. Then he suddenly tried to rip it out of his arm.

"What are you doing!" She yelled.

He gave it another tug and the needle came out successfully. He threw it on the ground and examined his arm; it was bleeding a bit. His eyes were wide with panic and he breathing grew heavy as he stared at the IV pole in incredulity.

"Yosh! What is the matter Neji? I thought you wanted pain relievers?" Lee questioned.

"Y-yes, just not that type." His voice was shaky and his eyes returned to the sight of his arm. _"I hope none got into my blood. That was a close one." _

Dr. Yamaka ran into the room and to the Hyuga's side. "I am so sorry Neji! I had your medicine confused with this one." He held up the same IV he had in his right hand before. "Please forgive me, Neji, I almost killed you."

"Killed him?" Tenten said under her breathe.

"There's a patient a few rooms down that needs this one, and I carelessly forgot to read the labels," He took off the bag of Hydromorphone and replaced it with the one prescribed to Neji, "I see you took care of it though," looking down at the needle on the ground.

"Tenten fortunately read the name and told me. I took it out immediately." Neji said, still a bit distraught.

"Very good. Well you don't seem to be reacting, which means you took it out in time."

"_Thank God."_

Dr. Yamaka gave Neji a band aid for his arm and inserted the correct IV. He then left.

"What just happened?" Tenten asked very confused.

"I'm extremely allergic to Hydromorphone." Neji said, calming down a bit.

"How allergic?" Lee asked.

"'You heard the doctor! He could _die_ from it!" Tenten smacked Lee on the head.

"Yosh! I did not know it could be so severe!"

"Lee's right, that's a weird to be allergic to…and it's not like it's very common. How do you know you're allergic to that? It's only real purpose is for like…serious surgeries."

Gai listened in on the conversation, knowing exactly where this was headed, "Tenten, I don't think-"

"It's fine, Gai-Sensei" Neji said. "When I was born I was diagnosed with CHD."

"What is that?" Lee asked.

"Coronary Heart Disease."

**(A/N: Go read "My Little Soldier" by Migoto Nami, to understand my CHD reference)**

Tenten's eyes grew wide, "What? Why?"

"My mum had always had a weak heart, and I guess it was passed down to me. Beside from that, when I was about 2 years old, I had open heart surgery to stop the pain and to prevent the same fate as my mother. After the surgery, which Dr. Yamaka performed, I was put on Hydromorphone… and I guess I reacted poorly to it. I was too young to remember what happened…but my father said it wasn't good."

"Dr. Yamaka performed your surgery?"

"Yes, I've been coming in to his office every few months for Coronary check-ups. That's why he knows me so well."

"Oh wow. That's a lot to go through…" Tenten said sympathetically.

"Hn."

"Ugh, and we were doing so well with not saying 'hn.'"Tenten sighed jokingly.

"Hn"

"If you do not mind us asking, what _was_ the fate of your mother?" Lee asked, staring down at his feet.

"Lee…" Gai stared at his student in dismay.

"Well my mother, as you can imagine, passed away from cardiac arrest."

"Aww…I am so sorry" Tenten looked like she was about to cry.

"It's alright; I was barely a year old. I hardly remember her…however she is the reason why I received the heart surgery. So all in all I'm grateful." Neji sat back and relaxed, his headache seemed to disappear.

"An…And your father?" Tenten asked nervously.

Gai stepped into the conversation, "Neji, you don't have to tell them if you don't want to."

The boy looked down at his hands, "He…died protecting our clan." He reached up to his forehead to find his hitai-ate, "Where's my forehead protector!"

"Oh! I have it!" Tenten said, retrieving it from her pocket and handing it to Neji, "Speaking of which, we saw that weird mark on your forehead after you fell unconscious… and since we've seen it…I was wondering if…you could maybe tell us about it?"

Neji sighed. He could tell he was in for a long interrogation.


	7. Author's Notes

Hey guys! I'm glad that you guys really like this story and to those that are reviewing, thank you so much! I love hearing what you guys have to say! It really inspires me a lot. Anyway I just wanted to straighten out some points and make some things a bit clearer.

**To anyone that reviews**-

I really appreciate it when you ask me to write more, but I also like hearing your own insight on the fanfic. So don't be afraid to voice your opinion!

But while keeping that in mind; please be considerate about what you say. If you say something like "That was the stupidest god damn f***ing story I've ever heard in my f***ing life. You screwed everything up you god damn idiot!" OBVIOUSLY I'm gonna want to hunt you down and bitch slap you into the next f***ing millennium. But I'm not going to, because although I'm a bitch, I'm not THAT big of a bitch.

If you have any ideas, TELL ME. I'll consider it! And like 7 out of 10 times (that statistic is complete bull shit) I will use it (or at least part of it!) and I'll even give you credit and leave your username/web address at the top of my fanfic! :D

The story line-

Why is Neji so young? Does it have anything to do with the story?

-No, not really. I just always felt like Neji would be cuter young. Also, I felt Neji could have easily graduated early. (Kakashi graduated when he was 5 and Gai and Itachi graduated at 7. So yes it's doable. ) If he can become a Jounin at 14-17 of course he can graduate early. If you have a problem with that, sucks to suck.

- Secondly, NEJI'S GOD DAMN BIRTHDAY IS IN JULY. It's safe to predict that he was 11 when he graduated (in the real story.), assuming Japan doesn't have some crazy-ass school calendar. All I did was push his age back a year. I'll admit it, _**I SCREWED UP**_. Okay? I meant to only make him a year younger but accidently made him 2 years younger. It was like 2 am when I got inspiration for the story so naturally I was tired as hell. Also I accidently made Lee and Tenten 11 when they should've been 12.

But while I'm on the subject: If Naruto's class is a year younger than Lee's, and if Lee's graduated at 11/12. That means Naruto's class was 10/11. That's how old Neji should've been. But like I said, I screwed up, sue me.

**- Yes this** means he is younger than Hinata. (No matter if he was 1 or 2 years younger it doesn't matter he still would've been younger. Hinata's birthday is in December.) So I changed the story slightly, kill me. At least I didn't change it up completely like those authors that write about Neji and Tenten living in Chicago while attending college with their gay roommates that they have sex with every night while trying to graduate with a law degree.

- Fourthly, they all technically graduated at 11/12. Gai didn't hold them back; he waited a year before letting them join the Chunin Exams. They just trained for year… So pretty much they just ran 5,000,000,000 laps and did 30 million pushups before they could enter the exams.

3) Why is Neji so emotional?

-Hello! The kid is only 9! :D What you're telling me is that you NEVER cried as a 9 year old? Bull Shit. But besides from that have you paid ANY ATTENTION to the episodes Neji is in? He cries all the time!

1) He cries when his dad's curse mark is activated

2) He cries when his dad dies

3) He cries after the Chunin Exams

4) And I'm pretty sure he cries during his battle with Kidomaru

CONCLUSION: Although the writers wanted him to sound cold hearted, THEY MADE NEJI PRETTY DAMN EMOTIONAL.

And like I said, it's my story. If you don't like it, tough noodles. Go write your own, that's what I did. But I do have to agree that it was a bit sappy…

And last but not least, I AM NOT DONE WITH THIS STORY. I like writing a few chapters and then waiting to see what my reviews are before I continue. (On top of that, I've had a pretty busy school year, but I promise to finish this story during summer.) I don't know where, but somewhere it tells you whether a story is in progress or not. I know because it asked me when I uploaded it, and I'm pretty sure it wasn't asking because it was just curious.

Alright, now that I've wasted your time, please continue reading my stories. Also, thanks for reading (if you managed to read it all)

3 flipflop386


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